Re: [PATCH v3] strip: keep .ctf section in stripped file

[Mark Wielaard <mark@klomp.org>]

Hi Nick,

On Tue, 2023-02-28 at 12:59 +0000, Nick Clifton wrote:
> > O, this surprises me. I wasn't aware binutils strip keeps unallocated
> > sections by default. But apparently it does. It doesn't seem specific
> > to ".ctf". Do you know why? This seems counter to how strip is supposed
> > to behave, at least how I understand it.
> 
> Actually thinking about it, there are a few important un-allocated sections
> that ought to be kept in a binary.  For example .gnu_debuglink and .shstrtab.
> So maybe deleting unallocated sections by default is not such a good idea.

Sure, but both are those are actually added or rewritten during
stripping.

There are some exceptions to the general rule in eu-strip of dropping
not referenced, non-allocated, SHT_PROGBIT sections. SHT_NOTE sections
are never removed (even if they aren't allocated), as are non-
SHT_PROGBIT sections. ".gnu.warning." sections also aren't (even if
they are non-allocated SHT_PROGBIT sections). And ".comment" sections
aren't if not explicitly told to.

Guillermo's patch proposes to make ".ctf" another special case
(defaulting to keeping).

I am mainly wondering why binutils strip already seems to keep ".ctf"
sections (even without -g).

Cheers,

Mark